Nine-time UFC champion Matt Hughes will be hanging out in the Rockford area this Saturday (April 21). The UFC legend nicknamed “Country Boy” will be the featured guest at the customer appreciation event hosted by the sports nutrition store Max Muscle, 6738 Broadcast Pkwy., Loves Park.

Hughes will be at the store from noon until 4 p.m. He will be posing for pictures and signing autographs for fans inside a fighting cage. Professional model and author Hilda Castillo will join Hughes for the celebration.

Max Muscle’s customer appreciation event will also include professional body paint artist Johni Kucera. Her skills will be displayed on Max Muscle-sponsored athletes Brandon Truckenmiller and Jerry Foss. Truckenmiller and Foss are local amateur bodybuilders pursuing their pro-card (professional status).

Customers can also take advantage of big sales on all products, services and apparel. Multiple product vendors will be on site offering samples and giveaways. Saturday store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Following their afternoon at Max Muscle, Hughes and Castillo will make their way over to the Grand Ballroom at Cliffbreakers Resort for the special 10th anniversary of Rumble on the River. Clay Goodman and Todd Green have invited Hughes to help them celebrate their 10th year of promoting mixed martial arts events.

Many of the area’s top local fighters have entered the ring in the “Rumble” events. Will Brooks, Kenny Booker, Damian Norris, Tom Butler, Josh Labree, Kent Rexford, Vince Ramos and Andrew Navickis are just a few of the names that have fought on previous cards.

Saturday night’s card features Matt “The Reaper” Mahurin taking on Nick Lasher. For more about the Rumble on the River or to purchase advance tickets, contact Cliffbreakers at (815) 282-3033.

I hope he has a great time; it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun.

Maybe he can get a few pics for us of the professional body paint artist's work. I just saw a show on, "The Making of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue", and they had professional body painters paint swimsuits on some of the models--you would have thought they were in the real thing. Very cool.